winter tire set is not really that expansive... you only have them on during 3 months... you can get from tire rack 4 wheels... that are relatively inexpensive that cost under 200 and the winter tires cost depends on the model... blizzaks... or 3d sport... I go for the max speed rating and highest winter tire rating myself... blizzaks if you really have a hard winter... I live in RI do that last couple years I have been ok... put my 2011 M3 through the winter driving event with Audi ... lots of fun and the M3 did not come in last... close but not last... hey its and M3 going up hill through ice and snow... winter tires make a difference big time!

If money is no issue, then go with the S5 deffinately. The s5 is a faster car no matter where you are driving it. The track, the street. the freeway, it doesnt matter. The s5 is a 12 second car the m3 is a 13 second car there is a big difference between the two as far as speed goes. The s5 also has more room and more features. Even if money is a factor, as long as its not a huge factor I would still go with the s5 personally.

If money is no issue, then go with the S5 deffinately. The s5 is a faster car no matter where you are driving it. The track, the street. the freeway, it doesnt matter. The s5 is a 12 second car the m3 is a 13 second car there is a big difference between the two as far as speed goes. The s5 also has more room and more features. Even if money is a factor, as long as its not a huge factor I would still go with the s5 personally.

2013 S5 coupes will have the supercharged V6 from the S4. They're a chip and pulley away from 350+ AWHP (check with APR, Stasis, Revo, etc.) and get high 20s for highway mileage, which is not too bad for a commuter car (at least compared to an M3).

None of this is to say they handle as well on a track, but I'm guessing an S5 would do just fine for freeway duty.

Audicare is like $800 and gets you close to the maintenance that's included with all BMWs (I think they consider things like brake rotors and pads to be wear items and not included, whereas they're included under the BMW plan...).

OP, the S5 is going through its mid-cycle refresh. MY13, due sometime in the fall, will have the 3.0T (supercharged V6) engine vs. 4.2 (N.A. V8). This will help performance while also improving fuel economy. It is a very good car but as others have suggested take one for a test drive. The current S4 will give a good feel for performance. It just lacks the design appeal of the coupe. Other improvements will include Google Maps and AudiConnect (i.e. hotspot). It is a very good car but, IMO, it lacks the emotional connection compared to an M3.

Assuming you don't live in the mountains or are challenged with driving in areas where you create your own trails in the winter, RWD with proper snow tires should be good enough. I drove several high HP RWD cars in snow and never had a problem. Does AWD provide an advantage, yes. However how many snow days are there per year, 4, 5 perhaps 8 (at the most).

If you like to modify your cars be aware that Audi is cracking down on this practice. Effective April they are running an ECU test. If modifications are detected it will produce a TD1 flag which will void the powertrain warranty. Also they are detecting intakes and exhaust systems. This will produce a T10 flag which can also void the warranty. Look at some of the popular Audi forums for this topic.

I had ordered a MY13 S4 but backed out to order a MY13 M3 coupe. For me, it was a better car. I just enjoyed driving it more. The S4/S5 are good but the M3 felt special.

The forthcoming RS5 looks really good except for limited allocation. Dealers will not be discounting from MSRP. Perhaps even a market adjusted adder.

The best way to determine is take both for a test drive on the same day (if possible).

OP, the S5 is going through its mid-cycle refresh. MY13, due sometime in the fall, will have the 3.0T (supercharged V6) engine vs. 4.2 (N.A. V8). This will help performance while also improving fuel economy. It is a very good car but as others have suggested take one for a test drive. The current S4 will give a good feel for performance. It just lacks the design appeal of the coupe. Other improvements will include Google Maps and AudiConnect (i.e. hotspot). It is a very good car but, IMO, it lacks the emotional connection compared to an M3.

Assuming you don't live in the mountains or are challenged with driving in areas where you create your own trails in the winter, RWD with proper snow tires should be good enough. I drove several high HP RWD cars in snow and never had a problem. Does AWD provide an advantage, yes. However how many snow days are there per year, 4, 5 perhaps 8 (at the most).

If you like to modify your cars be aware that Audi is cracking down on this practice. Effective April they are running an ECU test. If modifications are detected it will produce a TD1 flag which will void the powertrain warranty. Also they are detecting intakes and exhaust systems. This will produce a T10 flag which can also void the warranty. Look at some of the popular Audi forums for this topic.

I had ordered a MY13 S4 but backed out to order a MY13 M3 coupe. For me, it was a better car. I just enjoyed driving it more. The S4/S5 are good but the M3 felt special.

The forthcoming RS5 looks really good except for limited allocation. Dealers will not be discounting from MSRP. Perhaps even a market adjusted adder.

The best way to determine is take both for a test drive on the same day (if possible).

Good luck.

I was about to get the Revo tune and backed out after I saw what's happening in the states. That hasn't come to Canada yet but it may be soon.

As far as the intake and exhaust... They have to be manually coded and if you go to a friendly dealer none will code them. The ECU is the only thing AOA can detect automatically.

OP, the S5 is going through its mid-cycle refresh. MY13, due sometime in the fall, will have the 3.0T (supercharged V6) engine vs. 4.2 (N.A. V8). This will help performance while also improving fuel economy. It is a very good car but as others have suggested take one for a test drive. The current S4 will give a good feel for performance. It just lacks the design appeal of the coupe. Other improvements will include Google Maps and AudiConnect (i.e. hotspot). It is a very good car but, IMO, it lacks the emotional connection compared to an M3.

Assuming you don't live in the mountains or are challenged with driving in areas where you create your own trails in the winter, RWD with proper snow tires should be good enough. I drove several high HP RWD cars in snow and never had a problem. Does AWD provide an advantage, yes. However how many snow days are there per year, 4, 5 perhaps 8 (at the most).

If you like to modify your cars be aware that Audi is cracking down on this practice. Effective April they are running an ECU test. If modifications are detected it will produce a TD1 flag which will void the powertrain warranty. Also they are detecting intakes and exhaust systems. This will produce a T10 flag which can also void the warranty. Look at some of the popular Audi forums for this topic.

I had ordered a MY13 S4 but backed out to order a MY13 M3 coupe. For me, it was a better car. I just enjoyed driving it more. The S4/S5 are good but the M3 felt special.

The forthcoming RS5 looks really good except for limited allocation. Dealers will not be discounting from MSRP. Perhaps even a market adjusted adder.

The best way to determine is take both for a test drive on the same day (if possible).

Good luck.

Thank you so much, this is great details. In any case I am not going to purchse car in USA. I will be doing ED (European Delivery) So for me the price will be EU invoice.

I was about to get the Revo tune and backed out after I saw what's happening in the states. That hasn't come to Canada yet but it may be soon.

As far as the intake and exhaust... They have to be manually coded and if you go to a friendly dealer none will code them. The ECU is the only thing AOA can detect automatically.

I thought this as well regarding the intake and exhaust except there were two Audi forum members who had just intake modifications and the data logger recorded the delta from factory which produced the T10 code. I find this a bit suspect as the variations could've come from the outside environment. However it is their legal team vs. your lawyer. In the meantime you will need to spend the time and money to fight the system. Audi does make a good car except that either you accept the factory setup or loss of warranty. This will be interesting to see if this new process extends to VW and P-cars.

Since you own both vehicles what is your opinion of both? As I stated in my previous post, I really liked the S4 except it didn't offer the same emotional connection as the M3. Also the exterior styling is rather bland. Hard to tell the difference between an A4 S-line and S4 (except for the quad exhaust).

i had an s5 and they are a pig compared to an m3! audi is way behind with their performance! audis rs line is comparable if not worse then the bmw m line or benz amg line. Audi needs to update there shi.... They make slow heavy cars in my opinion. Buy a M or an AMG.

i had an s5 and they are a pig compared to an m3! audi is way behind with their performance! audis rs line is comparable if not worse then the bmw m line or benz amg line. Audi needs to update there shi.... They make slow heavy cars in my opinion. Buy a M or an AMG.

Ummm did you know that new S8 (yes, their biggest sedan) managed 0-60 in 3.5 sec.

I have to point something out to OP cause there's some misinformation on this thread, probably due to the lack of simple physics lessons.

AWD makes you go, it does not help with stopping. I have an AWD vehicle(Audi Q5) and the RWD m3. I've said it before, snow tires make a much bigger difference than AWD. The -only- time I've wanted AWD is when there's a chance of being sunk in. I live in WI so I've experienced real winters. Just yesterday we had about a couple inches of dusted snow on the ground(we are slated to get 5-6"). I was coming out of the theater and everyone(even obviously AWD cars) were sliding all over in the parking lot. I had zero issues. On the drive back, I had to slam on the brakes a couple of times thanks to a-holes cutting into my lane suddenly and I have zero doubt I would have plowed into them had I had all seasons/summers. The one thing you need during winter is -traction- and fwd/rwd/awd is less of an issue than the type of rubber you have on.

I have to point something out to OP cause there's some misinformation on this thread, probably due to the lack of simple physics lessons.

AWD makes you go, it does not help with stopping. I have an AWD vehicle(Audi Q5) and the RWD m3. I've said it before, snow tires make a much bigger difference than AWD. The -only- time I've wanted AWD is when there's a chance of being sunk in. I live in WI so I've experienced real winters. Just yesterday we had about a couple inches of dusted snow on the ground(we are slated to get 5-6"). I was coming out of the theater and everyone(even obviously AWD cars) were sliding all over in the parking lot. I had zero issues. On the drive back, I had to slam on the brakes a couple of times thanks to a-holes cutting into my lane suddenly and I have zero doubt I would have plowed into them had I had all seasons/summers. The one thing you need during winter is -traction- and fwd/rwd/awd is less of an issue than the type of rubber you have on.

During the winter season, this is an important fact for everyone to remember. It seems all too often I see AWD vehicles barreling down unsalted/unplowed roads because they feel--and admittedly are--stable despite the conditions. When it comes time to stop though, that's when the accidents happen...

Just sold my M3 after driving at least 50k miles in winter conditions. Without a doubt, tires make the difference. I'd take my M3 with Michelin Alpins over my 4wd F250 with no season tires. Can't vouch for the Audi vs. BMW in the snow since I had Michelin Alpins on my RS6 as well.

To each, his own. I've had three Audis and 5 BMWs and liked them all. Will either pick up an A8 or S8 in the spring. Done with BMW for a while.

To be honest Price is not the issue. My M3 config is including all 3 packages so yes I am looking for pretty much everything in car

I drive a lot of miles so I want a great driving experience but do not want to compromise on comfort also. (I am not old so I am not too crazy about extremely comfortable seat but don't want any backpain either) you know what i mean.

I have two options for winter, either ride my Accord or get winter tires. I can use some education on winter tires.

To be honest Price is not the issue. My M3 config is including all 3 packages so yes I am looking for pretty much everything in car

I drive a lot of miles so I want a great driving experience but do not want to compromise on comfort also. (I am not old so I am not too crazy about extremely comfortable seat but don't want any backpain either) you know what i mean.

I have two options for winter, either ride my Accord or get winter tires. I can use some education on winter tires.

RS5...done!

I'm confused. Wouldn't the RS5 suffer from the same issues in the snow as the M, clearance? With winter tires I have no issues outside of clearance...I guess hills might be an issue, but wouldn't know living in the Midwest.